12d Synergy

Pros

The simplicity of the interface, yet the features underneath the hood.

Cons

There nothing to really dislike about the software. If something breaks or is not there, the developer is happy to consider the feature or fix the issue.

Pros

Enables users work from anywhere, well, anywhere with a web connection.

Works with folders of files.

User friendly and uncluttered interface

manages bandwidth very well.

Puts files in the SAME folder each time

Cons

does not yet have zipped downloads. We move files of several GB (aerial imagery & BIM models) around at times and if users are sloppy with their housekeeping it can hurt colleagues who may be on a very slow web connection - but really this is a user issue and the development team are looking into adding this as a feature

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing 12d Synergy

Switched From

Pros

I find that being able to customise the software to your own specific needs is great. We are fairly new users of 12d Synergy however we have found a lot of improvement in file management, particularly with being able to roll back to a previous version. I also like the mapping feature in V4, and hope that this evolves with the software.

Cons

I personally find some of the menus very tedious and clunky. I have found the amount of bugs in certain versions frustrating, we are always having to update the software. Even then, the updates almost never go straight forward.

One personal thing I hate is that 12d Synergy always opens on the same screen/location and it doesn't set to the screen I close it on. Having to download another program just to force it to open where I want it to is frustrating. Other simple things like having to click on column headers to order the files all the time, there should be a default for this for each user.

Pros

Better management of our data
Team is more productive and efficient
Simple interface/easy to use
helped with flexible working arrangements

Cons

Limited Integration with other software. eg. open roads / Revit

Alternatives Considered

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to 12d Synergy

Pros

The ability to manage and collaborate projects designed in 12d Model is not currently possible by any other collaboration package.
It is very smart with synchronising data and minimises how much data you need to transfer. The first time that you open/checkout a file you you have to download the whole file - but subsequent checkins and checkouts, the transfer is extremely quick as 12d Synergy is only up/downloading the changes rather than the whole file.
The ability to check out files/folders and work off line is great for me when I need to work away from an internet connection.

Cons

Having to host the server hardware requires support from the IT department, but in terms of day-to-day use, I have not found any major issues.